A writer must “know and have an ever-present consciousness that this world is a world of fools and rogues… tormented with envy, consumed with vanity; selfish, false, cruel, cursed with illusions… He should free himself of all doctrines, theories, etiquettes, politics…” —Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?). “The nobility of the writer's occupation lies in resisting oppression, thus in accepting isolation” —Albert Camus (1913-1960). “What are you gonna do” —Bertha Brown (1895-1987).

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Beware of ALEC and the “[Ives] of March”

Take note of ALEC (American
Legislative Exchange Council), Thomas B. Fordham Institute, American Federation
for Children, Walton Family Foundation, Rupert Murdoch, the DeVos family, and
others and their education privatization agenda to siphon off public education
funding. Beware of their corporatist agenda and their puppet legislators who
sponsor corporate bills for profit-making. The for-profit K-12 education
industry is a “$500 billion sector in the U.S. alone that is waiting
desperately to be transformed” (Brendan Fischer, “ALEC’s Schoolhouse Rock” The Progressive).

In Illinois, it’s the Illinois Policy
Institute and their puppet legislators.

Synopsis As IntroducedCreates the Workers Rights Act. Provides that no person
shall be required as a condition of obtaining or continuing public-sector or
private-sector employment to (1) resign or refrain from membership in,
voluntary affiliation with, or voluntary financial support of, a labor
organization; (2) become or remain a member of a labor organization; (3) pay
any dues, fees, assessments, or other charges of any kind or amount, or provide
anything else of value, to a labor organization; or (4) pay to any charity or
other third party an amount equivalent to, or a portion of, dues, fees,
assessments, or other charges required of members of a labor organization.
Authorizes a person who suffers an injury or a threatened injury as a result of
a violation of the Act to bring a civil action for damages, injunctive relief,
or both and, if he or she prevails, to be awarded attorneys' fees and costs.
Amends the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act and the Illinois Educational
Labor Relations Act to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Synopsis As IntroducedCreates the Political Funding Reform Act. Prohibits a
public employer from collecting, deducting, or transmitting political funds.
Provides that if a person or organization (i) has used as political funds any
of the funds collected or deducted for it by any public employer, (ii) has
commingled funds collected or deducted by any public employer with political
funds, or (iii) has deducted or collected funds from multiple levels of an
organization and transmitted those funds to a single recipient who has used
those funds as political funds, then, for a period of 2 years, no public
employer shall collect, deduct, or assist in the collection or deduction of
funds for any purpose for that person or organization. Voids existing contracts
and agreements that violate the Act. Makes the provisions of the Act severable.
Effective immediately.

Synopsis As IntroducedAmends the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act and the
Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act. Provides that, once an agreement is
reached between a public or educational employer and its employees regarding
the terms of a collective bargaining agreement, the agreement shall be reduced
to writing and published on the website of the public or educational employer.
Requires the public or educational employer, not less than 14 days after
publishing such an agreement, to hold an open public meeting on the
ratification of that agreement. Makes conforming changes in the Open Meetings
Act and the Freedom of Information Act. Effective immediately.

Synopsis As IntroducedAmends the Open Meetings Act, the Illinois Public Labor
Relations Act, and the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act. Eliminates the
open meetings exemption for collective bargaining in all three Acts. Effective
immediately.

Dancing with the Civic Committee Stars - See Local Members of ALEC
at the Party? By John Dillon. “ALEC (American Legislative
Exchange Council) is coming to town to celebrate its 40th birthday
at the Palmer House on August 8th! Are you invited? Probably not,
but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be there”:Click Here.

Teacher/Poet/Musician

Copyrights & Fair Use: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding of issues vital to a democracy. I believe this constitutes a “fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law.

Persona

"I want everything to be explained to me or nothing. And reason is impotent when it hears this cry from the heart. The mind aroused by this insistence seeks and finds nothing but contradiction and nonsense" —Albert Camus (1913-1960).